At Shefford Lower, we believe that nurturing early reading skills lays the foundation for children to become confident, curious, and capable readers. We support our early readers in discovering the joy of reading while helping them expand their vocabulary, develop language comprehension, and build essential decoding skills. As they develop, we guide them towards developing their phonological awareness. Through storytelling, songs, poems, rhymes, and shared reading experiences with high-quality texts, we ensure that these early reading skills are nurtured in our play-based approach in the Early Years.

Reading

We believe that the most important skill a child can develop during their primary years is the ability to read independently and understand and enjoy what they read. Reading opens the door to learning across the whole curriculum and supports lifelong learning.

We provide a structured approach to the teaching of reading through dedicated reading lessons, alongside opportunities to apply these skills across our curriculum.

Reading for Pleasure

Alongside the teaching of reading skills, we are committed to fostering a love of reading. Research shows that children who read regularly for pleasure often perform better across the curriculum.

At Shefford Lower, we encourage children to explore and enjoy a wide range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts. We purposefully plan for high quality and engaging texts to be built into our curriculum and we aim to create enthusiastic readers who see reading as both enjoyable and valuable.

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.

Emille Buchwald

Moderation Framework

Useful Links

Reception parent workshop link

Supporting Early Reading at Home 2.pptx

Parent information on Early Reading at Shefford Lower School

Early reading- parent information.pptx